The Aftermath
by Mia Sedai
Summary: What happened between book three and four? Here's my take. COMPLETE


A/N: this all belongs to L. M. Montgomery. I am merely a very obsessed fan who decided to write about what I thought happened between book three and four.  
  
Anne Shirley walked as in a daze through the backdoor of Green Gables, the house she had called home since she was eleven years old. Her steps were light, her red hair ruffled by the wind, and her gray eyes were sparkling. In the kitchen she was met by two elderly ladies who were knitting ferociously, trying their best not to look too interested in what had been going on for the last three hours. One of them barely succeeded by glaring at what her hands were doing, the other failed miserably, but then she had always been known for her curiosity and her way of putting her nose in where it was unwanted.

Anne smiled at them both, poured herself a glass of milk and sat down with them.

"Good evening, ladies," she said absently.

The 'ladies' looked at each other, then at the girl sitting across the table.

"Good evening, Anne," said Marilla, who was still trying to find some invisible whole in her sock. "How was your evening?"

Anne looked up from her milk and barely managed to stifle a nervous laugh. "Oh, it was nice." That was all she managed to say, but the way her cheeks turned red said more than a thousand words.

"Oh Anne, don't keep us in such suspense," pleaded Rachel Lynde at last. "What has happened? Where's Gilbert? Because, that was Gilbert who walked you to the porch wasn't it?"

Anne nodded and drew a steady breath. "Marilla, Rachel. There's something I need to tell you."

And at this both women put down their knitting. Even calm and collected Marilla looked slightly nervous. "What is it, Anne?" she said and looked at her.

Anne took a deep breath and started a thorough study of her fingernails while she mumbled: "yes, Rachel, that was Gilbert who walked me home. We've been to Hester Gray's garden."

"For three hours?" interrupted Mrs. Rachel incredulously.

"Rachel hush," demanded Marilla and gave her old time friend something that, from anyone else but Marilla, would have been called a glare.

Anne smiled nervously and started to twist a lock of hair around her index finger.

"Yes. For three hours. Or, perhaps it was just two, because we went for a long walk down the Lane afterwards. We had a lot to talk about you see. A lot of… misunderstanding that needed to be cleared before we…" At this she stopped, and again that eloquent blush started creeping up her neck.

"Gilbert has asked me to marry him and I've accepted," she rushed at last, followed by a silence that could have made a grave seem loud. But after a few seconds the whole Green Gables kitchen erupted, and the two ladies jumped from their seats, rushed to the other side of the table and embraced Anne in a heartwarming hug.

"Oh I am so happy I could cry!" exclaimed Rachel Lynde as she sat down again. Marilla, on her side was still standing by Anne, one hand on her shoulder, and the other one was wiping away a few tears that threatened to come.

"We are very happy for you, Anne," she said and stroked her hair. "We've been hoping for it for some time, but then we heard about that thing with the boy at Redmond, and then Gilbert got sick. And the way you took it. Anne… if you knew how proud I am right now…" Marilla trailed off and sat down, wiping a few more tears. Anne looked at her adopted mother and smiled. "Thank you Marilla. I am quite happy myself. I just don't think I have really understood it yet. But when I do I am sure I will be quite cheerful. Right now it is as if I am living in a dream. My heart seems ready to burst in pure ecstasy, but my mind keep repeating that it all must have been a dream. It's all too good to be true. I'm engaged! I'm engaged to Gilbert Blythe. I can't believe it."

She rose from the table and put away her glass. "I think I need to go for a walk before I go to bed," she said and grabbed for her coat. "I need to clear my thoughts or there is no way I can sleep. I probably won't be able to after my walk, either, but at least I'll feel a little better, then. Good night." And then she escaped out through the door again, her eyes ablaze with a spark that hadn't been there before tonight, and an unconscious smile on her lips.

Early next morning Anne found herself in bed, not having been able to sleep at all. After her walk she had come inside, undressed and tried to get some sleep, but all she could think of was Gilbert's quiet voice whispering "I love you" in the moonlight, his hand caressing her cheek, his smile, the way he looked when she stroked her hands through his curly, dark-brown hair, how he tasted. The touch of his lips could still be felt on hers, and Anne couldn't help but remembering how perfect it had been when he had declared his love for her, and how she had known in her heart that this was what she wanted. This was where the bend in her road was taking her. She would be alone no more, because Gilbert would always be by her side after this. No wonder everything seemed brighter and more cheerful as she got up that morning, despite the lack of sleep.

"Why is everyone so quiet?" Davy asked at breakfast that morning. "Is something wrong?" He had turned into a handsome little bloke of 10, and though his disposition for getting into scrapes had lessened, he was still as curious as ever, and when no one talked at breakfast that meant something unusual was happening. That last time he could recall something like that was when Thomas Lynde had died, and that seemed like centuries ago to the little boy.

Anne smiled at him from where she was staring blankly into her porridge. She hadn't slept, couldn't eat, and she only came out of her reverie now and then to pour herself some milk, or, to try and answer the questions of small, curious boys.

"Nothing is wrong, Davy dear," said Anne and ruffled his hair. "We just have a lot on our minds, that's all."

"But Anne, why aren't you talking? You always talk."

Anne laughed and looked at Marilla, trying to find out what to say. Marilla, on her side, just shrugged and helped Dora, Davy's twin sister, to pour some more milk.

Anne didn't know what to say though, and was rescued from trying to explain by someone knocking on the door. Anne got to her feet, and opened to find Diana Wright standing on the outside.

"Hello, Anne," she said with a smile and came inside. "Hello Marilla, Rachel. Davy and Dora."

Diana was holding a little baby boy in her hands, but her attention was on her 'bosom friend', and she had a curious look in her eyes.

"Anne, I came over because I wanted to know if you would go for a picnic. My mother is taking care of baby Fred this morning, I am going there after I've been here, and I hoped maybe you had the morning off so you and I could have one our old time rambles in the woods."

Anne looked at Diana and smiled, while she wondered to herself just what she had heard, and whom she had heard it from. Diana had never been the kind of person to come up with a picnic, and after she had gotten married even less so. But Anne, dying to talk to her best friend about what had happened accepted merrily, and together they skipped through the Haunted Wood, up to Orchard Slope, delivered little Fred to Mrs. Barry, before they set out for the Lake of Shining Waters and sat down by the shore. They talked about this and that, but it was Anne who had to bring up the subject she knew Diana wanted to talk about.

"Diana, I need to tell you something," Anne said as she looked across the Lake. Diana stopped swallowed her toast and looked eagerly at her.

"What is it Anne?" she said, eyes shining.

Anne laughed. "Why do I have a feeling you already know what I'm going to say, dearest Diana?"

Diana smiled guiltily and blushed.

"I met Gilbert this morning at the post office," she said and laughed. "He told me all about it. Oh Anne I am so excited, you have no idea how long I've been waiting for this!"

Again Anne found herself being hugged, and the two women laughed and giggled and acted like they were 13 all over again.

"So what's it like, Anne?" asked Diana, who had been married for quite a few years now. But being there by the Lake with her best friend, talking about engagements made her feel so much younger right away.

Anne bit her lip and closed her eyes dreamily.

"It's wonderful. Of course, I've only been engaged for like ten hours, and I haven't even seen Gilbert since last night, so for all I know it could have been a dream that I am to wake up from soon, but it really feels great. It's like… this is where I am supposed to be. It feels… it feels right, if you know what I mean."

Diana nodded. "Yes. Yes I do."

They lingered there for a little while longer, laughing and chatting gaily, before Diana had to go pick up her son. Outside of the Barry house they hugged, promised to meet again soon, before they parted.

As she was on her way home Anne suddenly found herself being followed by a tall, dark, handsome man with a mischievous smile, and a twinkle in his eyes that looked almost like her own. He looked around for curious spectators before he bent down quickly and kissed her. Their eyes met as he did so and for what seemed like the millionth time that day she could feel a blush presenting itself.

"Anne Shirley, is that a blush I see?" Gilbert said and laughed as he took her hand. Anne looked into his face and smiled.

"Seems like it's all I've been doing since last night, Gil," she replied and leaned a little closer. "Marilla and Rachel interrogated me big time when I came home last night. And today Davy asked why no one was talking at breakfast. Poor thing, how was he to know what had happened? And I couldn't tell him, and barely managed to leave with Diana who came by to know what was going on. And so of course I had to tell her the whole story, but she already knew the main deal, because she said you two ran into each other this morning."

Gilbert nodded and started to play with Anne's fingers.

"Yes. I meant to let you tell her yourself, but I just couldn't help it. I want the whole world to know, Anne. You're finally mine. This morning when I woke up I first thought it was all a dream, because it is a dream I've had many times. But then I remembered that it was actually real, and you have agreed to marry me, and we will live happily together for the rest of our lives!"

Gilbert nearly danced down the Lane with Anne at his side, and the people who passed them on their way to wherever they were going sent them curious glances. And before the sun went down that night all of Avonlea knew: Gilbert Blythe had finally gotten his Anne after years of patience. There were many broken hearts in the little province that night.


End file.
